Horse-blinder.



' No. 721,760. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903..

0. VIKREN.

v HORSE BLINDER. `APPLIGATION FILED rma. 5. 1901.

N0 MODEL.

GA 23S,

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oLE vIKoREN, oF HOLDREGE, NEBRASKA.

`HORYSE-BLINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PaterntNo. 721,760, dated March 3, 1903.

Application flied February V5, 1901. serial No. 46,075. me maar.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, OLE VIKREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holdrege, in the county of Phelps and State of Nebraska, haveinventedanew and usefulHorse-Blinder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to horse-blinders.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character specified which shall be thoroughly efcient in blindfolding a horse, thus to prevent runaways; to enable therider or driver to control a fractions or vicious horse, and, further, to present adevice which may be readily operated and which shall be certain in operation for the purposes designed.

With the above and other objects in'view, as will appear 'as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a horse-blinder, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied orfchanged as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage Without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawiugs,Fignre lis a view in side elevation of a portion ofa bridle, showing the improved blinder attached thereto and in operative position. Fig. 2 is aperspective view, on an enlarged scale, showing the blinder as it appears when folded up or in inoperative position. Fig. 3 is an enlargedtransverse sectional view taken on the line3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view, in side elevation, showingA more particularly the springclip or holding device for retaining the curtain of the `blinder within its casing.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a portion of a bridle including a brow-band 2 and bitrings, only one of the latter being shown.

The blinder comprises a casing or housing 3, curved to conform to the contour of the browband 2 and secured thereto by spring-clips 4. The casing or housing may be made of any suitable material, preferably of leather. The ends of the housing have secured to them straps 5, carrying buckles 6, the said straps being adapted to be secured to the bridle, and thus insure a -stable connection therewith. Securedwithin the housing is the rear end of a bellows folding curtain or blind 7, which is transversely curved to conform to the housing'and in which lit is normally housed, as shown in Fig. 2, the shape of the curtain when Y in thep'osition shown in Fig. l operating positively to blindfold the animal.

The curtain is drawn from the housing through the medium of pull-straps 8, secured to the lower ends of the curtain and thence passed through the bit-rings of the bridle an'd back to the riding-saddle or to the hip-straps of the driving-harness and within easy reach ofthe rider or driver. To prevent the curtain form working out ofthe housing when-'the animal is traveling, retainers 9 are employed,which are disposed adjacent to the lower ends of the curtainand have central spring or resilient lock-loops..- 10, which engage transverselybroadened'bearingl-bars ll, rigidly secured to the ends of the housing. When these retainers are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the curtain will be positively held within the housing; but when draft is applied to the pull-strap the curtain will trip them to the position shownk in Fig. 1, and thus permit the latter to have free outward movement.

The device of this invention is exceedingly simple in construction, is compact in form, is certain of operation, and may be readily applied to any form of bridle without necessitating anychange in its structural arrangement.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- A horse-blinder comprising a casing, means associated therewith for attaching it to the head-piece of a harness, a Vfoldable curtain having one end secured within the housing,

- pull-straps attached to the outer terminals of the curtain, and resilient'retaining devices carried by the lower ends of the housing and adapted to bev tripped when draft is applied 

